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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com